Public Safety Workers and use of High Visibility Apparel   Background : ANSI /ISEA 207 Standards  In January 2006, The Federal Highway Administration published the most recent Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (The MUTCD). This MUTCD revision accepted and coded into law for the first time the ANSI 107-1999 High Visibility Apparel Standard “or subsequent revisions”. The acceptance of the ANSI 107-2004 Standard (the current revision) in the MUTCD was a distinct advancement for highway workers. However for “Public Safety Workers” such as Police, Fire, State Patrol, Emergency Personnel, and other “First Responders” the circumstances and use of High Visibility Apparel on the job was unclear. Many Public Safety workers were exempted from using high visibility apparel, and or were only partially covered by the ANSI 107 standard and the MUTCD. In 2006 the Federal Highway Administration announced in a written statement that effective in 2006; ALL workers working on a highway that received federal funds must wear high visibility ANSI apparel. This new rule now INCLUDED Public Safety personnel such as law enforcement, emergency workers, Fire, EMS, public maintenance, utility crews, and other “First Responders” wearing traffic vests when performing duties of directing traffic, investigating crashes, handling lane closures, clearing obstructed roadways, and all other disasters within the right of way of federal highways. For practical purposes, all First Responders working on any highway that received federal funds were being advised to use ANSI High Visibility Apparel.    BEWARE. Many Imported Safety Vests Do Not Meet ANSI 107 or 207 Standards. Safety vests made from inferior materials are prone to fading, pealing, cracking, seam failure and may not retain high visibility or reflective properties when wet. Read why " Made In USA" Matters   The ANSI 207 vs. 107 Standard:  Public Safety Workers acknowledged the risks of on-the-job traffic accidents related to visibility. However, there was also a understanding that competing hazards such as heat/flame exposure for Fire Departments, use of stealth and/or weapons by law enforcement in potential confrontations, and fire/chemical/electrical exposure to emergency, maintenance, and repair crews required judgment in the use of High Visibility Apparel; and flexibility of design for these workers. The ISEA, working in conjunction with select law enforcement, fire, rescue, EMS, and other city and state ‘First Responder” organizations began work on a new consensus standard specifically for ‘Public Safety” workers. The result was the publication of the ANSI 207 Public Safety Vest Standard, a consensus approved by the canvas method and published in late 2006. The ANSI 207-2006 accepted as “Best Practices” much of the High Visibility Apparel standard as defined by the already published ANSI 107-2004 standard for workers exposed to traffic. ANSI 107-2004 definitions of fluorescent fabrics, retro-reflective tapes, 3rd party independent tests of both fabrics and reflective for color fastness, cleaning, tear, abrasion, flexing, temperature variation, care labels, marking, labels, bursting strength, reflective photometric and Physical Performance Requirements apply to the ANSI 207-2006 standard as well (See the separate ANSI 107 Technical Brief for more on this) In all the Technical Requirements, the ANSI 107-2004 American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel; and ANSI 207-2006, American National Standard for High Visibility Public Safety are nearly identical.    CAUTION. Most Foreign Manufacturers Of Safety Vests Are Not Required To Meet ANSI / OSHA Standards. All of our safety vests meet or exceed ANSI / OSHA requirements.    The ANSI 207 - 2006 Standard:  The major difference between the accepted ANSI 107 High Visibility Standard and the ANSI 207 Public Safety Standard came in the garment design; specifically allowing LESS (450 sq inches) of background fabric to be used. Law enforcement could now combine Police Blue fabrics with fluorescent orange or yellow fabrics. Fire Service could use traditional orange, red or yellow fabrics; but also needed “Fire Resistant” fabrics per the (NFPA 701) and or (ASTM F-1506) standards as the primary danger was fire. EMS personnel traditionally used white. Finally the National Incident Management System (NIMS) encouraged the use of color coding response personnel and or the use of ID panels. The result is new vest designs that combine non-traditional FR and poly-cotton fabrics with traditional fluorescent fabrics to create entirely new designs for “Public Safety” and “First Responders” Many of these designs are “One Size Fits Most” to allow for variation in personnel likely to wear these vests in an emergency. Clear and Velcro removable ID panels allow for fast changes in assignments during Incident Management. Velcro “Break-away” sides and shoulder designs on select products provide an extra level of Safety. Taken together, the new ANSI 207-2006 standard allows “Public Safety” personnel to maintain their identity as First Responders while using High Visibility Apparel. These new products appear on this site. High Visibility T Shirts - Surveyors Vests - Fire Resistant Vests - Incident Command Vests   If you have questions or require more information regarding the new ANSI 207-2006 standards please feel free to call our toll free number 877-999-4847. Unlike vendors that sell imported safety vests, Safety Smart Gear has access to, and is more informed on, safety vest requirements from USA manufacturers.    DISCLAIMER: This summary and appendix is provided for Vinatronics sales and customer service informational purposes only. Please refer to the original MUTCD, OSHA, ANSI, NFPA, and ASTM documents and all supporting Appendixes for complete information on compliance. As a technical summary, the completeness and/or accuracy of this information is neither expressed nor implied.   >  Police Safety Vests >  Surveyors Safety Vests >  Fire Resistant Safety Vests >  Hydration Safety Vests >  D.O.T. Safety Vests >  Summer Economy Safety Vests >  4 Season Economy Safety Vests >  US Forest Service Safety Vests